this has been your most coherent post yet. i don't mind the spelling mistakes or broken english as long as i can understand what is being said. thank you

Yo brotha! one love! Didn't mean to be rude raptorsrepublic...i love you all. More love and lets talk about DeMar. lmaooooooooo xox ooo lala hehehe I'm weird guy or girl this place is so much fun, I just loooooveeee talking bout da raptors.

DeRozan has been an average defender at best, and a subpar shooter from the wing. When Casey says the team needs ďas much shooting as we can getĒ to space the floor, heís talking about DeRozan and the rest of Torontoís wing rotation. Jose Calderon, the incumbent point guard, is a very good shooter. Kyle Lowry, the bulldog defender who will jump Calderon in the rotation, has developed into an above-average long-range shooter. Andrea Bargnani, for all his faults, is an elite big man shooter.

DeRozan started last season hot from three-point range but quickly fell back to his normal levels, finishing at 26 percent from three-point range and 35 percent (40 is the league average) on long two-point jumpers. His development as an off-the-dribble threat also stalled out. Casey actually took the ball out of DeRozanís hands a bit, cutting the number of DeRozan isolations and pick-and-roll plays for most of the season from DeRozanís 2010-11 numbers, per the stat-tracking service Synergy Sports. He instead had DeRozan run off a lot of sideline picks, hoping that catching the ball on the move would unleash a consistently effective off-the-bounce game in a way high pick-and-rolls havenít.

The results were hit-and-miss, in part because of DeRozanís shaky shooting. Things were better when Bargnani was healthy and able to draw attention from defenders, opening up cleaner lanes for the other Toronto players; the Raptors scored at an average rate when Bargnani was on the floor and a near-Bobcats-level when Bargnani sat, per NBA.comís stats database.

This secures the fact that Demar is a fair first option, and a very good second or third option... Even though in his second season, he proved to be a great first option...

I'm really starting to think, it's not the coaches, not the teammates, not the opposing players.. It's his confidence. It really looked like his confidence just went down the toilet compared to last season. He wasn't as aggressive, he was very passive. Maybe that all has something to do with teammates, coaches etc. But I hope the guy's confidence builds up, because as I start to think, that may be the reason why he struggled so much this season..

This secures the fact that Demar is a fair first option, and a very good second or third option... Even though in his second season, he proved to be a great first option...

I'm really starting to think, it's not the coaches, not the teammates, not the opposing players.. It's his confidence. It really looked like his confidence just went down the toilet compared to last season. He wasn't as aggressive, he was very passive. Maybe that all has something to do with teammates, coaches etc. But I hope the guy's confidence builds up, because as I start to think, that may be the reason why he struggled so much this season..

He was just playing with sub-par players. At this point in his career, he's just not a first option type of scorer. If he is, then you will find the Raptors again and again at the bottom of the standings. IMO, he's a solid 3rd option on a deep playoff team. And hopefully with Bargs and Lowry being the 1 and 2 options, Demar can find a good role as that 3rd option.

And hopefully with Bargs and Lowry being the 1 and 2 options, Demar can find a good role as that 3rd option.

I'll agree with this. Thats fine 1-2-3 Combo in my books.

However, after seeing the backlash toward Bayless when he tried to show Raps fans that PGs can be a scoring threat as well, most will want Lowrys first Priority to be distribution (which obviously isn't his game, but I imagine there will be at least a little bit of Gripe)and not scoring the ball.

"That was Nasty right? Cocked that Joint back and banged on 'em." -James Johnson

However, after seeing the backlash toward Bayless when he tried to show Raps fans that PGs can be a scoring threat as well, most will want Lowrys first Priority to be distribution (which obviously isn't his game, but I imagine there will be at least a little bit of Gripe)and not scoring the ball.

Its a different circumstance now though. Fans won't care if Lowry is a score first PG as long as the team wins. The Rap's are in a much better position to capitalize on Lowry's scoring than they were on Bayless because they have so many really good scoring options now...not just Andrea and DeMar.

Can't wait to see us play smaller guards with both Jose and Lowry on the floor at the same time. Should make for some high scoring games

He was just playing with sub-par players. At this point in his career, he's just not a first option type of scorer. If he is, then you will find the Raptors again and again at the bottom of the standings. IMO, he's a solid 3rd option on a deep playoff team. And hopefully with Bargs and Lowry being the 1 and 2 options, Demar can find a good role as that 3rd option.

Mostly in the mold of what I was saying in terms of offensive options. Like I said, only a 'FAIR' first option, but fair doesn't win you games..

I don't think there is going to be an issue when it comes to splitting time with guys like Ross, Kleiza and Fields. One thing that gets under my skin is when people say that DD should be worried about losing his starting role to Ross. Some fans go as far as saying DeMar will become expendable with the addition of a guy like TRoss. This team can use all the help it can get so I don't believe being picky is logical. There are other areas that this team needs to improve in before DeMar. Nevertheless, if a beneficial trade that comes along which provides significant improvement, then I'm all for it. In my opinion, I think the best answer moving forward is having both of them start the game. I doubt that is whats going to happen this year, but going forward this is the answer.